2019 Men’s College Lacrosse Year In Review: #19 Hobart Statesmen

With the 2019 college lacrosse season complete, it’s time to look back at how all 73 teams did during the season, along with an early look at each squad for 2020.

Note: These are not end of season rankings.

Here’s our last five Year In Review posts we’ve done:

• #24 Drexel
• #23 Vermont
• #22 Lehigh
• #21 Quinnipiac
• #20 Denver

To see all of our posts, check out the 2019 Year In Review section on the site.

Let’s continue our 2019 Year In Review!

#19 Hobart Statesmen

Conference: NEC
2019 Record: 11-5 (4-2 in NEC)
Postseason: Defeated Sacred Heart in NEC semifinals, lost to Robert Morris in NEC Championship
Head coach: Greg Raymond (6th Season)

Statistical Leaders

Goals: Eric Holden (45)
Assists: Chris Aslanian (34)
Points: Chris Aslanian (67)
Faceoffs: Matthew Pedicine (269-of-437; 61.6%)
Ground balls: Matthew Pedicine (173)
Caused turnovers: PJ Delpha (13)
Goals against average: Sam Lucchesi (10.81 GAA)
Save percentage: Sam Lucchesi (52.4%)

Personnel Losses

Key seniors departing: A Chris Aslanian (25 Gs, 34 As, 22 GBs, 4 CTs), FOGO Matthew Pedicine (61.6% FOs, 173 GBs, 1 CT, 3 As), M Stanny Gilbertson (10 Gs, 4 As, 23 GBs, 3 CTs), M Bryan Hancock (8 Gs, 2 As, 31 GBs, 5 CTs), M Koko Avedisian (8 Gs, 9 As, 7 GBs), D Parke Schweiter (2 CTs, 6 GBs), LSM Franklin Marquet (7 CTs, 26 GBs, 1 G)
Senior scoring departing: 108 of 371 points (29.1%)
Senior starts lost: 26 of 160 (16.3%)

Season Summary

Hobart was coming off a very disappointing 2018 season which saw them finish with a 4-10 overall record and a 1-5 mark in NEC play. But the start to 2019 was much different.

With the new shot clock rule, the Statesmen were one of the first teams to get national attention for their scoring. They scored over 20 goals against Canisius and Siena and FOGO Matthew Pedicine broke the NCAA record for most faceoff wins in a game with 32. He also added 20 ground balls. Despite losing to Cornell the following week, the Statesmen proved they looked like a quality team that could do damage on offense. That continued with wins over Binghamton and Vermont, with Hobart reaching at least 15 goals in all five games.

The scoring did slow down slightly as the team approached mid-March, but the winning continued. The Statesmen defeated Wagner in their NEC opener and Colgate by six goals each. Hobart then squeaked out a 10-9 win over Sacred Heart with Sam Lucchesi make the biggest save of the game as time expired. The month ended with a blowout win over first-year program St. Bonaventure.

Then came the team’s rivalry game against Syracuse for the Kraus-Simmons Trophy. Similar to the Cornell game, the Statesmen started out very strong against the Orange, forcing a five-all tie midway through the second quarter. But the scoring stopped, and Syracuse took command for the rest of the game en route to a big 17-5 win. That was the only time Hobart failed to score 10 or more goals in a game for the entire season. A few days later against Saint Joseph’s, the Statesmen had a two-goal lead with 8:19 to play before the Hawks scored twice, including the tying goal with a second left in regulation, before eventually winning it in overtime.

Hobart continued to struggle again the next week, this time against Bryant. But goals from Derrek Madonna and Eric Holden lifted the Statesmen to a much-needed win before taking care of Mount St. Mary’s. They were looking at potentially hosting the NEC Tournament if they defeated Robert Morris in the regular season finale. Tied at eight, both teams traded 3-0 runs before the Statesmen ended the quarter on a 4-0 run. But once again, the offense went silent and the Colonials tied it up and eventually won it in overtime. Hobart ended up as the second seed in the NEC.

Hobart’s NEC Tournament games were against teams they played to one-goal margins. And in the conference tournament, their two games also ended up being decided by a goal. Against Sacred Heart, the Statesmen went up 14-7 on a Jason Knox man-down goal with 4:15 left in the third. And yet again, Hobart’s offense went silent. But this time, the Statesmen were able to hold on for the one-goal win and advance to the NEC title game against defending champion Robert Morris. Hobart had a 6-3 lead early in the third quarter, but the Colonials went on a five-goal run to take the lead in the fourth and would not give it up despite the Statesmen making it a one-goal game on three instances. Hobart had two opportunities down the stretch, but their shots went high as their season came to an end.

Hobart had plenty of contributors on offense, and many of them were able to play both attack and midfield. Eric Holden and Chris Aslanian crossed the 50-point mark while Ryan Archer and Jason Knox each finished with over 40 points. Justin Scott, Derrek Madonna, Tommy Mott, and Koko Avedisian all played notable roles on offense. Stanny Gilbertson and Bryan Hancock were two-way midfielders that added punch to the offense, while Bradley Simas and Kyle Grimaldi also contributed throughout the season. Altogether, the Statesmen had 10 players record at least 10 points in 2019.

PJ Delpha started all 16 games at close defense and was Hobart’s only defender with double-digit caused turnovers with 13. Michael Christiansen missed only one game, but started the rest alongside Delpha. Sam Mueller, Franklin Marquet, Parke Schweiter, and Mark Synnott also played at close defense throughout the season. Ethan Black Fernandes and Dan Ryan were the usual long stick midfielders, with Marquet also getting some time at the position. Along with Gilbertson and Hancock, Wylie Sherman was also a short stick defender. Pedicine and Lucchesi took care of their normal spots on the field at the faceoff X and in goal.

Looking Ahead

Hobart returns a good amount of their players in 2020. They do lose offensive coordinator Peet Poillon, who went to Marquette as their offensive coordinator. So in comes former Marquette assistant Stephen Brundage, who worked alongside Raymond as assistants at Drexel and Princeton under Chris Bates.

Brundage has a lot to work with, including six of Hobart’s seven top scorers from a season ago who all recorded 25 or more points. The Statesmen aren’t afraid to use a ton of players, so look for more production from Simas, Jimmy Lampert, Quentin Birch, and potentially more.

As for defense, two close defensemen, two LSMs, and their starting goalie are all back. Mueller or Synnott could assume the third spot at close defense. Sherman is the lone primary short stick defensive midfielder returning, while there’s also a big hole at the faceoff X to fill. Ryan Dickson was second on the team in faceoffs taken with 12 while Brian Mitrow, Drew Blanchard, and Kyle Driscoll are also options. Everyone but Blanchard, who will be a junior, will be sophomores next season.